GeneralDisorder

Just start over from scratch. 1. Verify your valve timing. Find the three lines on the flywheel (not the ignition timing marks) and line up the center one with the pointer arrow on the bell-housing. 2. Check that the cam's are in alignment - the driver's side mark should be straight up, and the passenger side should be straight down. 3. Turn the engine to TDC on the compression stroke of the #1 cylinder. Pull the plug and stick your finger over the hole. As you turn the engine over, when the #1 cylinder reaches the compression stroke both valves will be closed and the piston will push air past your finger. When you feel this keep turning till the ignition timing marks come into view and set the arrow on 20* BTDC (that's the 20 mark that's BEFORE the 0 when turning clockwise0). 4. Install the distributor with the rotor pointing at the #1 plug tower on the cap. Just eye-ball it. It moves a healthy distance if you are a tooth off so it should be pretty easy to get it. 5. Install the wires in the order 1,3,2,4 in a COUNTER-CLOCKWISE rotation from the one you chose to be #1. 6. Install your plug and fire it up. Fine tune the timing to 20 BTDC on a timeing light with the green diagnostic connectors plugged together. GD

I don't know if the VM or OP will work with the car - the wireing may or may not be there. Obviously the sending unit for the OP would have to be added and the wire connected or run if it's not present. The digi-dash would require a complete rewire of the car. Several sending units are different and the wireing harness is totally different. GD

When you buy a car - ALWAYS check for the CEL durring the lamp check (ignition on). GD

Evap purge solenoid or EGR solenoid - either way it won't cause you a problem. Just plug the lines that were going to it. The ECU is only looking for a good circuit and even with a broken nipple it will still have that. As long as you aren't seeing a CEL then just plug the lines and ignore it. GD

Yeah - I'm mostly concerned with why this is occuring more often with the EJ brake design and if anyone has found what's causing it/how to avoid it. It's obviously not a rotor quality issue - the ones I've replaced have all been OEM rotor's. And they may have lasted a good long time - 100k perhaps. But with the EA stuff they last FOREVER. I've never replaced a rotor on an EA81 or EA82 for warpage. They last right up till they are too thin and very often beyond. To the grave of the car. They may be grooved, worn, etc - but they still stop the car adequately and I haven't had a great desire to replace any of them. Some may consider it "normal" for rotors to warp after a time - I'm not of that camp. I consider that it's possible to design them to NEVER warp and that's what I would like if I can get it. Gary - they are marked for minimum thickness on the inside of the casting. Mine are marked 22mm minimum thickness and they are at a little over 23mm currently as measured with my micrometer. There is a definite ridge where they have worn since last being turned and I'm assuming they were turned when the pads were last replaced as they were all within mm's of the backing plates. GD

It's not worth messing with the guts of the speedo. They are fiddly and plastic - you can probably change just the speedo if you really, really want to but you might as well just replace the whole cluster. Very few of them fail in this way so it's not likely you will have a problem with a junk yard replacement. And they are quick to change so no big deal if you do. GD

Your mechanic is a moron. Find a new one. The pulley's may need to be sanded or replaced, and the belt should be tight enough not to make noises. You should use a new belt as one that has been slipping on the pulleys like that is automatically suspect - it overheats the rubber and causes wear spots. It is normal for the SPFI to increase the idle speed when cold. It doesn't sound like you have a problem to me. You might need a new coolant temp sensor - those are common. Raise the idle speed back to where it idle's properly when warm. Oil pressure should be high when cold as well - the oil is thicker when cold. GD

Yes - this is typically a vacuum supply or switch issue. The actuators and the lines inside the dash generally do not fail..... I have never seen it anyway - and that goes for all the EA82's and all the Legacy's I've owned - dozens of each. Although secretly I do like the EA81 rod controls better as there is never a switch or vacuum supply issue with them GD

Cluster is bad - replace it. Just fixed that same problem on my GF's '86 sedan. GD

Correct - in the first case it's typically the throw-out or pilot. In the second it's likely the transmission input shaft bearings. On the EJ 5 speed's they eliminated the input shaft bearing at the front of the tranny and that seems to result in the final (main) input shaft bearing being heavily loaded. GD

Throw-out bearing is probably on it's way out. If it goes it will lockup and will wear through the pressure plate fingers and you won't have a clutch anymore. The engine will just stay engaged to the tranny and you'll have to power shift it and start the engine in gear. Much like when a clutch cable breaks. Pull the engine and do a complete clutch job. GD

It wouldn't be *quite* that easy. The first input shaft bearing doesn't exist on the EJ 5 speeds due to them not having any load on that portion of the shaft (no low range gearset). It's further complicated by the casting of the EJ case not haveing as much material in that location to support the bearing with. It would likely have to have the "snout mount" section of the EA case plas'd out and welded into the EJ case. Either that or just plas off the whole EJ bell-housing and weld it to the EA case. GD

It is in front of the fuel tank on a shelf. GD

Having that gear put on the RX shaft might not be real cheap. I would imagine that they will have to bore the shaft *out* of the 4.444 gear and then cut down the gear on the RX shaft till the 4.444 gear can be slid over the remaining stub. I'm not sure how to lock it to the shaft but welding would only be part of it. I would likely shrink it to the shaft using an interference fit and then plug weld the end having left the shaft 1/2" shorter than would fully extend through the gear. I'm not even sure that would be strong enough. Probably would have to bevel the bottom of the gear and cut a groove in the shaft in order to get enough weld penetration on the gear. I would charge a ton of money to do something like that - if I had the tools . Someday when I get a lathe and mill..... GD

Any small bits of rotor that could still be in the distributor? The Loyale distributors are optical-pickup units and something could easily block the slits in the optical sensor interruptor plate..... just a WAG. Other than that - have you checked for spark? If you aren't getting any then you know something is amiss. If you are then perhaps the plug wires are not on the right tower's. GD

Yeah I do have one - I know just the off-ramp to try that on too. I wonder if I could rig up a K type thermocouple for my DMM to sit just a few thousanths from the rotor surface and then run that into the cabin Might be a mute point - I just tore the passenger side front apart for an axle - bad DOJ and blown boot. Original axle to the car. I have all the maintenance reccords - no mention of axles except the tech notes they were "making noise but boots intact" at around 160k. Green painted joints too so they are OEM. Axles have gone 215k and the driver's side still has intact boots! I may do front rotors while I'm replaceing that DOJ. Looks like the wheel bearing on that side wants replacing too - sounds dry and I knew I heard some wheel bearing while I was on the freeway GD

I would second the ebay reccomendation. For measureing devices get yourself some used Mitutoyo (SP?) micrometers. You don't want to cheap out on those as accurate measurements of your engine build will make or break the whole deal. Starret is also good but more well known and so probably command a higher price in the used market. I spent $100 on a set of three metric Mic's that will measure anything up to 150mm. A set of Harbor Frieght telescoping gauges are a must to go with the Mic's. I use the Harbor Frieght digital (ONLY the digital one's - the other's are suspect) calipers and dial indicators. Both have proven accurate in my experience and durrable enough if you are careful with them. The dial indicator runs $25 or $30 depending on the sale, and the calipers are often on sale for $9.99. I have two of each..... I have used the Harbor Frieght compression tester's - they are OK if you don't drop them - they are fragile inside and I've had to resolder mine a couple times. They don't need to be 100% accurate as you are mostly looking for % difference across cylinders. You could build something that will work but the fittings needed for the spark plug threads, the check valve and release mechanism are annoying and for $10 I would rather not spend my time fiddling with some home-made contraption that's as much frustration as the chinese thing from HF..... Buy a vacuum gauge from your local industrial supply for $10 and get some hose fittings to hook it into what you are working with. Look around on the net for plans on how to build your own leak-down tester. That's also worth building yourself. GD

Not *the*, but definitely *one* of them. There are quite a few of us. Try eBay - there are quite a few recyclers that post engines and such. I shipped a short-block across the country for like $75 about a year ago. GD

That's EXACTLY what these do. They don't even seem to do it on side-streets *after* getting off the freeway - but that off-ramp makes them SING. The wheel vibrates a good inch in either direction. On the one's that have done this was it the front's that were to blame or the rear's? I had a constant pulse on my turbo that was the rear's..... The rotor's don't give me any clue - they are all about the same runout wise..... it *feels* like maybe it's from the front's but I can't be sure - my turbo felt like the front's too but after changing them it made zero difference. GD

The only good EA82 short block is the one on the end of the anchor chain..... Used engines are a dime a dozen. You probably won't find just the short-block - you'll have to buy a whole engine to get one most likely. GD

Which short block do you need? I'm lost in your post here - you are all over the map with EA82's and EJ25's...... GD

You won't find that easily in the EJ25 phase I. That's what fails the most on them besides head gaskets. Rod failure and piston slap are very common with that engine. Coupled with the terrible head gaskets - the EJ25 phase I is to be avoided at all costs or swapped out with an EJ22. GD

There's a 2.35L - that's an EJ22 with EJ25 crank and rods. Basically an EJ22 stroker. Not a factory engine though and typically not done unless you are planning to built an 800 HP monster turbo engine. GD

That's a tall order. You aren't going to find anything that doesn't need work for $500 or less. I'll be at around $800 when I'm done with the '91 I just bought and I only paid $250 for the car. And that's a DEAL. GD

'98 Forester would have a Phase I 2.5L - that's the EJ25 - stear WAY clear of that engine. '99 and up Forester's have the Phase II. There has never been a factory 2.3 or 2.4. EJ15, EJ16, EJ18, EJ20, EJ22, EJ25...... GD